I am currently completing a placement at graduate internship agency called Inspiring Interns. And it’s a company that lives up to its name.
I have found that an ABB A-levels, a 2:1 from a red brick uni and a MA leaves me close, yet so far from an elusive full-time ‘graduate’ job.  To my frustration even ‘graduate entry level’ jobs require experience of some sort.
Graduates are faced with a catch 22 situation. Without a job, you can’t get any experience, but without experience you can’t get a job. That’s where Inspiring Interns comes in.
They hook you up with a company who will take you on and train you. The company will pay for your travel and lunch expenses, which many scream is exploitation, but I think is the lucky break that most graduates desperately need. And it’s one of the few offers open to them. Moreover, the majority of Inspiring’s internships lead to paid, full-time roles.
After many a day looking for jobs online, I opted to work for free at Inspiring Interns because I wanted to get out of my house, and proactively do something to get a job.
I’m very lucky. I’m not on the dole. Because if I was, I wouldn’t be allowed to take up this opportunity. I’m not working in Mc Whatever to pay the rent, because I live at home. To put it simply, I’m relying on my parents. But it’s the only way I can move my life forwards.
Most people wait for lucky breaks. I went to Inspiring Intens because they bring them to you.
Across the world, millions of graduates, are sitting at home waiting for a break. They are Not in Education, Employment or Training. Having been told my parents, teachers and politicians, throughout my life that an education will get you ahead, many young people are sat at home disillusioned and depressed, or working in a McDead-end job wondering why on earth they tried so hard at getting ahead in the first place. Luckily with Inspiring Interns, I no longer need to be a NEET.
Inspiring Interns – specialising in finding meaningful internships for students and graduates –http://www.inspiringinterns.com
well you're very lucky to have mummy and daddy pay your way. I'm on the dole and there's no way I can expect my parents to support me while work for free on an internship. I think its up to businesses to start paying their interns a decent wage. If we're really helping productivity then we deserve it, surely?
I fully realise how lucky I am to be in a position where I live relatively close to London and can support myself whilst interning here. The government are working on a solution to providing help for Interns and certain universities run internship support schemes, in which they can put some money towards expenses and costs. I know it's a tough time for recent graduates economically but it's also hard for small businesses at the moment and many cannot afford to pay interns a full wage. I worked for about half a year prior to this to save up money to keep myself afloat now and agree that it's not the ideal way of doing things however, unlike many internships, Inspiring Interns fully compensate travel & expenses and in all our positions there is the capacity to turn it into full time employment if the candidate impresses. In regards to working with Job Seeker's Allowance, some companies may support the possibility of turning it into a 'Work Trial' in which you can claim benefits whilst completing the placement. I'll send you the links to the website as well as 'Consurgo', a social enterprise that can provide financial support to prospective interns.
http://www.consurgo.co.uk/
http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/o...
I'm not sure why an internship would be a bad idea given your current situation, as you can still claim job seekers allowance at the same time. Nobody is stopping you searching for jobs while working, in fact sometimes this is encouraged; Most employers are incredibly flexible and will allow days off for interviews and even interview preparation.
Most interns are graduates or school leavers, and in the current labour market – which I am sure you are all too aware of – it is a great way to beat the afforementioned catch 22 situation. When a prospective employer asks me what I have been doing for the last three months, I would feel much more confident talking about the experience gained at an internship, rather than talking about sitting at home on the dole playing computer games.
You've got to be in it to win it guys. Go for it! What have you got to lose? (Marie the intern girl x)